Navas welcomes competition from De Bruyne should he make a move to City

Manchester City are close to bolstering their attacking-midfield ranks once again as their pursuit of Kevin De Bruyne nears fruition but winger Jesus Navas is ready to meet his challenge for a first-team place.

The Spain international has started all three of City's Premier League games so far this season but might be seen as the most vulnerable in the XI should the club seal a £50 million deal for the Wolfsburg star.

Navas has no doubt about his value, though, and is glad of the intense competition for places.

He told the Daily Mirror: "I feel I'm a really important player within the squad and my duty now is to keep working hard to keep my place in the team, then the manager will decide.

"I'm very focused and working really hard in training every day. This is the way I want to do things this season.

"The competition does not just keep me sharp - it's everyone in the whole squad who has to perform to a high standard. It's good to be competitive when everyone wants to be in the starting line-up."

City have started the 2015-16 campaign in fine form, racing to the top of the Premier League table and beating reigning champions Chelsea 3-0 along the way, though Navas is keen to maintain their focus rather than revelling in their early success.

He continued: "There are a lot of games to be played. We've only played three times and we just need to focus on the following game, prepare well and then take game after game.

"The key is focusing on yourself and preparing well, [looking at] ourselves, not thinking about other teams dropping points."